meniscus

noun

me·​nis·​cus mə-ˈni-skəs 

plural menisci mə-ˈni-ˌskī 

-ˌskē,

-ˌsī

also meniscuses

1

: a crescent or crescent-shaped body

2

: a concavo-convex lens

3

: the curved upper surface of a column of liquid

4

: a fibrous cartilage within a joint especially of the knee

Examples of meniscus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bigger blow came Saturday, when the Sixers announced that rookie guard Jared McCain is out indefinitely because of a lateral meniscus tear in his left knee that will require surgery. —Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

Rookie guard Jared McCain, a front-runner for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, is sidelined indefinitely with a meniscus tear in his left knee, the team announced Saturday. —Tony Jones, The Athletic, 15 Dec. 2024

Embiid, who has had a history of knee injuries, underwent surgery on the meniscus in his left knee in February. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024

In the first round against Phoenix, Leonard tore his meniscus and suffered cartilage damage on his repaired ACL, requiring another surgery. —Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek mēniskos, from diminutive of mēnē moon, crescent — more at moon

First Known Use

1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

meniscus

noun

me·​nis·​cus mə-ˈnis-kəs 

plural menisci -ˈnis-ˌ(k)ī 

-ˌkē

also meniscuses

: the curved upper surface of a liquid column

Medical Definition

meniscus

noun

me·​nis·​cus mə-ˈnis-kəs 

plural menisci -ˈnis-ˌ(k)ī, -ˌkē  also meniscuses

1

: a crescent or crescent-shaped body

2

: a fibrous cartilage within a joint:

a

: either of two crescent-shaped lamellae of fibrocartilage that border and partly cover the articulating surfaces of the tibia and femur at the knee : semilunar cartilage:

(1)

: one mostly between the lateral condyles of the tibia and femur

called also external semilunar fibrocartilage, lateral meniscus, lateral semilunar cartilage

(2)

: one mostly between the medial condyles of the tibia and femur

called also internal semilunar fibrocartilage, medial meniscus, medial semilunar cartilage

b

: a thin oval ligament of the temporomandibular joint that is situated between the condyle of the mandible and the mandibular fossa and separates the joint into two cavities

3

: a concavo-convex lens

4

: the curved upper surface of a liquid column that is concave when the containing walls are wetted by the liquid and convex when not